My Boyfriend is the Heartthrob, and I’m Just a Passerby.

Ye Jishu wasn’t surprised by this.

He only paused briefly before heading straight down the stairs.

He had already made up his mind.

He would just sleep in the dormitory all day today. That way, he could completely avoid everything.

Since everything began on that rainy night, the most effective way to stop it was to skip night self-study entirely—cut it off at the source.

As he stepped out of the teaching building, a wave of heat hit him instantly. The cool air from before disappeared in an instant.

His gaze followed the familiar route.

The campus bus had already stopped at the station, waiting for passengers to board.

Ye Jishu got on without any trouble.

The stifling heat spread through the narrow bus, making it feel like he had stepped into a confined, sealed space.

Around him, the sound of people chatting filled the air with noise.

He found a seat, sat down, and quietly waited for the bus to reach the stop near his dormitory.

Not long after, he finally arrived at the dormitory.

Out of habit, he glanced at the elevator—it was still broken.

Once again, he was reminded that everything happening in front of him wasn’t an illusion. It truly felt like he had returned to a past timeline.

He walked to the end of the hallway.

Before entering the dorm room, he stopped and knocked a few times, just like he used to.

Soon, the sound of hurried movements came from inside, plunging the entire dormitory into chaos.

His roommate still seemed to be doing everything possible to hide his inhuman identity.

Only after a series of frantic shuffling noises did a weak voice finally call out, “You can come in now…”

Ye Jishu then took out his key and unlocked the door.

After entering the dormitory, he put down his bag and started changing his clothes.

Even though he had taken the bus back, the time when the sun was half-set yet still blazing hot made it the most stifling moment of the day.

After just ten minutes on the bus, his shirt was already damp with a thin layer of sweat.

From the small gap in the bed curtains, an eye peeked out, quietly watching his back.

“…Why are you putting your stuff away now? Aren’t you… going to class?” His roommate’s voice was stammering and hesitant. “Uh… If I remember correctly, you have night self-study tonight…”

“I’m not going,” Ye Jishu replied.

His roommate fell silent.

He was probably finding this behavior unusual.

After all, Ye Jishu had never missed a class related to his major. He cared about his GPA and credits. But now, he was skipping voluntarily.

Still, there was nothing strange about his expression, which made it even harder to understand.

Confusion and doubt lingered in his roommate’s gaze, but Ye Jishu had no intention of responding.

Because even if he tried to explain, he wouldn’t know where to start.

After putting his bag away, he went to take a shower.

Then, he changed into clean clothes and lay down on his bed, slowing his breathing, preparing to sleep.

[It’s stifling… but bearable.]

Because the dormitory faced away from the sun, it wasn’t excessively hot in the summer, so he didn’t turn on the air conditioning.

However, the faint damp heat still clung to the air—like the stale, musty scent of an old dormitory building that had been exposed to the sun for too long.

That distinct wooden decay mixed with mildew made the air feel suffocating.

Ye Jishu thought he would need some time to fall asleep.

Just closing his eyes and letting his mind go blank…

But in reality—

He quickly sank into darkness.

—

“Shhh, shhh—”

Outside the window, the sharp sound of torrential rain rang through the air.

It was as if thousands of silver needles were stabbing into his eardrums at the same time, instantly dragging his consciousness out of the darkness.

As his mind slowly cleared, the barrier between dreams and reality shattered.

The sound of rain suddenly became deafeningly clear.

Ye Jishu moved his fingers slightly, feeling an unusual heaviness in his body.

Maybe it was because he had fallen asleep with wet hair, but now his temples were throbbing painfully.

[…I might have caught a cold. Troublesome.]

It would be best to take some medicine now to avoid suffering later.

As he sat up in bed, he finally realized just how heavy the rain was outside.

Not only was the downpour relentless, but thunder rumbled fiercely, drowning out all other sounds.

Even through the thick dormitory curtains, the blue-violet glow of lightning flickered inside, casting a dim reflection on the damp floor beneath the fluorescent lights.

Ye Jishu felt a little more awake.

But his throat was unbearably itchy, as if he needed to cough but couldn’t.

Ignoring the headache, he reached for the jacket he had tossed to the side.

His phone screen lit up as he picked it up.

The time on it read: [23:40].

For a moment, his dazed mind didn’t quite register it.

But when he finally did, the thought hit him like a sudden jolt—

[The time has already passed.]

[It’s long past that moment with Yan Mei.]

No matter what was supposed to happen back then, it was already over.

So, if that’s the case—

Why was there still no sign of returning to reality?

Ye Jishu pulled back his bed curtains and looked down toward the lower bunk.

His roommate’s spot was empty. He was nowhere to be seen.

Yet the dormitory lights were still on, casting a dim yellowish glow through the heavy rain.

For a split second, it was hard to tell if this was reality or not.

What the hell is going on…?

But then again, the Bureau never mentioned how to return once everything was over.

Still, if they didn’t say anything, didn’t that usually mean missing the time point would automatically end everything?

Yet now, there was no sign of that happening.

What’s going on…?

With confusion clouding his mind, Ye Jishu got out of bed and started putting on his clothes again.

It was a little chilly, so he decided to wear his jacket.

Just as he reached for the zipper, his phone suddenly vibrated.

The flashing light on the screen caught his attention.

Ye Jishu stretched out his hand and picked up the phone.

The screen unlocked automatically.

A few unread messages and missed calls instantly appeared in front of him.

Because they were from an unknown number, all the messages were marked in a glaring red, strikingly eye-catching.

[Where are you?]

[You’re not there. Why?]

[Where did it go wrong?]

[You’re not in the self-study room. Not in the teaching building either. Not even on the field. Where exactly are you?]

[…It’s fine.]

[Jishu, I will find you.]

The screen was filled with densely packed information.
A series of messages scrolled by so fast that there was no time to read them properly—only a rough glance could be spared.

[Who is this?]

Before his finger could press down, a sudden, forceful knocking came from the door.

The sound was violent.

“Bang, bang, bang.”

Almost simultaneously, thunder exploded in the sky, creating an equally piercing noise. It was as if the entire room was momentarily drowned in the overlapping roars.

Ye Jishu barely had time to react before the door suddenly swung open from the outside.

“Boom—”

At that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the room in a stark white glow, revealing the rain-soaked figure standing in the doorway.

Ye Jishu abruptly turned his head.

The moment he saw that face, shock struck him, and his eyes instinctively widened.

This was someone who absolutely should not have appeared here.

“I searched everywhere, but you weren’t anywhere to be found…”

The figure stood there, muttering to himself. Rainwater dripped steadily from his finely tailored clothing, forming small puddles on the floor. But he seemed oblivious to it, only continuing to murmur,

“Jishu wasn’t there… Where did I go wrong…”

[Yan Mei.]

[Yan Mei had appeared here.]

Rain had completely soaked through his clothes.

But he didn’t care, letting the water collect beneath his shoes, pooling into a damp trail as though he had just stepped out of a storm.

Thick darkness loomed behind him, bringing an eerie chill.

Because he couldn’t comprehend the timing of Yan Mei’s arrival, Ye Jishu instinctively spoke.

“Why are you here? I clearly didn’t go to the hallway…”

However, Yan Mei’s murmuring suddenly came to an abrupt halt.

His voice hadn’t been particularly loud.

But in that instant, he lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Ye Jishu.

“So Jishu was actually trying to avoid me?”

“You deliberately missed that moment? I thought something had gone wrong.”

Yan Mei’s words carried a chilling intensity that sent a shiver down Ye Jishu’s spine.

His emotions surged, pressing in on him.

“…No.”

“I won’t give you that chance.”

It didn’t matter.

Leaving him—wasn’t going to be that easy.

“Click.”

The dormitory door shut once more.

Yan Mei took a step forward.

With his movement, rainwater dripped onto the floor, leaving distinct, winding trails.

Yet he seemed completely unaware, only advancing toward Ye Jishu.

The air was thick with rain and dampness, and Yan Mei’s figure was now alarmingly close—so close their breaths almost seemed to intertwine.

In the narrow dormitory, two silhouettes overlapped under the blue-violet glow of the lightning.

“I already told you, didn’t I?”

His words carried a mix of something intense—whether it was deep-seated resentment or a love so pure it became terrifying was unclear.

Yan Mei couldn’t control his emotions.

Overcome by a turbulent surge of feeling, he moved closer to Ye Jishu’s face. In the reflection of his eyes, he saw a blurry image of himself.

“We promised—”

“To always be together.”

To Yan Mei—

No matter what action the Control Bureau took, it was nothing more than an insignificant disturbance.

Like ants crawling along the edge of his shoes.

Even if they swarmed together in a cluster, they were still just ants.

No matter what ridiculous tricks they tried, they weren’t worth his attention, much less a reaction.

However, when it came to Ye Jishu—

It was different.

He couldn’t simply correct the mistake outright, afraid of hurting Jishu.

So even when he sensed time had twisted back to a previous point, he restrained his frustration.

First, he needed to confirm what time the Control Bureau was searching for.

[When is this?]

Yan Mei picked up his phone and glanced at the screen.

His previously relaxed mood changed instantly.

This was the day he first met Ye Jishu.

He remembered now—this very day, a few months ago.

It was just like this, surrounded by humans who were so easily disturbed by his presence.

Their chatter mixed with the summer humidity, heavy and suffocating, like sound muffled through water.

“Yan Mei, have you finished your notes?”

“Let me carry your bag for you!”

“Oh, right—by the way, can we exchange contact information…?”

[Noisy.]

[Irritating.]

The urge to leave immediately was stronger than ever before.

He just wanted to meet Jishu tonight.

Even now, walking out of the group discussion early shouldn’t have mattered.

With that in mind, Yan Mei stood up and left the classroom.

But what he didn’t expect was—

At that very moment, as his thoughts drifted, a familiar figure appeared in the hallway ahead.

[Jishu.]

Yan Mei’s steps faltered.

Before this, they had never met face-to-face like this.

At the other end of the hallway, Ye Jishu seemed to notice him as well.

He lifted his head, his gaze falling on Yan Mei with a hint of confusion.

His face remained emotionless as always.

Yet Yan Mei found himself unable to look away, as if he could never get enough of seeing him.

But before Jishu could sense he was staring, Yan Mei quickly averted his gaze.

And the question resurfaced in his mind.

He understood now.

Because he had left the classroom early this time, their meeting had happened ahead of schedule.

If such an action could cause a disruption in the timeline—

He wouldn’t do anything differently.

He wanted to hold him.

But he had to endure it.

If he startled Jishu, if he made him wary, if it caused him to stop attending night study sessions—

If, if.

When it came to Jishu, he always became overly cautious.

[Jishu doesn’t know me at this time. I can’t.]

Yan Mei forced himself to suppress the urge to call out to him.

Pretending nothing had happened, he shifted his gaze away and walked past Jishu along the side of the hallway.

Only after ensuring that Jishu wasn’t paying attention to him did Yan Mei finally turn his head—

And saw Ye Jishu walking away, without once looking at him.

[He didn’t look at me at all just now.]

A surge of anxiety flooded his chest.

It’s fine.

It’s fine.

There was no need to panic.

A few more hours.

In a few more hours, he could rightfully walk Jishu back to his dormitory.

However—

Standing in the storage room, watching the storm rage outside, Yan Mei saw no sign of Ye Jishu.

Where have things gone wrong?

This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

Was it because he left the classroom early and left a bad impression?

Or… did Jishu accept someone else’s—

Butterfly effect.

No.

Unacceptable.

He refused to accept it.

Late into the night, after confirming that Jishu wouldn’t show up, Yan Mei finally left the storage room.

He didn’t bring an umbrella.

Stepping past the umbrella rack without hesitation, he walked out of the teaching building, his shoes sinking into the sticky, rain-soaked ground.

Where could Jishu be?

The sports field? He remembered that when they first started dating, Jishu had a habit of walking in circles around the field while playing mobile games before heading back to his dorm.

That was the first place he checked.

But there was no sign of him.

Soaked by the torrential rain, Yan Mei suddenly realized another possibility.

Perhaps he was in one of the classrooms, asleep in a back-row seat.

He could still recall Jishu’s schedule for today.

Because this semester, he had been the one picking him up and dropping him off.

It was long past closing time.

The entire school building had gone dark.

In the suffocating silence, Yan Mei opened the final classroom door.

[He’s not here.]

He stood still for a moment.

A few seconds later, he suddenly calmed down.

A strange, bitter laugh escaped his lips.

[Am I an idiot?]

[I’ve pretended to be human for too long—I’ve forgotten who I really am.]

There were clearly many ways to know where Jishu was, yet he searched for him one by one.

It had always been this way.

Whenever it came to Jishu, he would become unlike himself.

Yan Mei lowered his gaze.

Looking into the eyes of the person so close, at such an intimate distance.

Even so, he still couldn’t guess what the other was thinking.

That feeling of losing control, of being torn apart, shattered his emotions.

Seeing someone who was always expressionless, rarely showing any visible emotional fluctuations, now revealing astonishment, confusion, and an unexpected tremor in his gaze—all because of his presence, because of a single sentence—Yan Mei felt a surge of vindictive satisfaction rise in his heart.

Mine.

No matter what happens, this existence will never be let go.

Mine.

With that desire brimming inside him, he leaned in closer.

First, he nuzzled against the other’s neck with his nose, an intimate touch. Then, he reached out, pulling the other tightly into his embrace.

Drenched hair, filthy mud—

Everything smeared onto Ye Jishu’s exposed, pale neck.

Amidst the muffled rumble of thunder, he whispered into the other’s ear:

“So cute. You’re really so cute… Did you really think, Jishu, that I only met you that night?”